The Duke

The job was to deliver the crate to Duke Deloran in the royal capital of the Caresian domain, Cardenstag.

"They call Cardenstag the shining jewel of the south, so we should do some sightseeing while we are there," Vayren suggested, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

"You seem particularly knowledgeable about the goings of the world. Why is that?" I asked Vayren

Vayren grinned, his eyes glinting with mischief. "I was enthralled with bards stories of the world growing up." his gaze seemed to trail off into space momentarily before cutting back in with, "Someday I would like to be the one performing for crowds sharing my stories."

Veronica smiled, "Well, we're certainly making our own stories right now."

As we set off on our journey, I couldn't help but feel a sense of dread settling in. The bandits on the trade route were known to be ruthless, and I couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off about this job.

Days passed uneventfully as we made our way towards Cardenstag. The journey was dull and monotonous, and I couldn't wait to be done with it.

But as we neared the halfway point, we began to hear scratching coming from the wooden crate through the night.

At first, we dismissed it as nothing more than the movement of the carriage. But as the scratching grew louder and more persistent, we knew that something was wrong.

Veronica drew her sword and approached the crate cautiously. "What do you think is in there?" she asked, her eyes scanning the crate for any signs of movement.

"I don't know," I said, drawing my own sword. "But we need to be careful."

As we approached the crate, the scratching grew louder and more frantic. Suddenly, the lid of the crate burst open, and something small and furry leaped out, screeching.

We stumbled back in surprise, our swords at the ready. But as the creature landed on the ground, we realized that it was nothing more than a small, frightened kitten.

Relieved, we lowered our swords and approached the kitten cautiously. It looked up at us with wide, frightened eyes, its tiny body shaking with fear.

"We can't leave it out here," Veronica said.

"What does the duke want a kitten for? This whole thing has been nothing but sketchy." I grumbled.

Vayren crouched down and scooped up the kitten, cradling it in his arms. "Well, now we have a kitten to add to our party," he said with a grin.

Veronica rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile. "Fine, but it's your responsibility to take care of it."

We continued on our journey with the kitten in tow, taking turns holding it and playing with it during our breaks. As we entered Cardenstag, the kitten had become a beloved companion to us all.

But our troubles were far from over. As we arrived in Cardenstag, our new companion, whom Veronica has dubbed Misty, seemed afraid of the city, cowering in Vayren's arms. Something was definitely off about this place, and I couldn't shake off the feeling that we were being watched.

As we made our way toward the duke's palace, I noticed that the city was eerily quiet. There were no merchants calling out their wares, and the streets were empty. It was a stark contrast to the bustling city that Vayren had described, and my sense of foreboding only deepened.

As we arrived at the palace, we were granted an audience with the duke. He was a tall, imposing figure, his eyes scanning us carefully as we presented him with the crate.

As he inspected the contents, his eyes widened in surprise. "This is not what I was expecting," he said, his voice laced with a silent anger.

"What do you mean?" I asked, my nerves on edge.

"There is supposed to be a young girl from the demon beast tribes."

The duke's words sent shockwaves through us. A young girl? What were we supposed to do? We were given a crate with a cat, not a person.

The duke turned to us, his eyes boring into ours. "You were supposed to bring me a young girl, not this crate!" he bellowed, his voice echoing through the hall.

"We were only given a crate," I said, my voice shaking with fear.

The duke's expression softened slightly, but there was still a dangerous glint in his eyes. "I see. Well, it appears that there has been a grave misunderstanding. I will have my men investigate this immediately."

We breathed a collective sigh of relief as we were dismissed from the palace. But our troubles were far from over. Wanting to put some distance between Cardenstag and us, we headed to an inn a couple of hours north of the city. Luckily, the duke still paid us for our trouble, but it was nowhere near the price that we had originally agreed upon. I'm just glad we made it out alive.

For the first time since we started traveling together, we could afford separate rooms. The twins bunked together and sent the cat with me to keep me company. 

As I settled into my room, I couldn't help but feel grateful for Misty's presence. She purred contentedly as she curled up in my lap, her soft fur warming me against the chill of the night.

But as the night wore on, I began to hear strange noises coming from the hallway. At first, I dismissed it as nothing more than the sounds of other guests settling in for the night. But as the noises grew louder and more frenzied, I realized that something was wrong.

Wrapping Misty in a blanket, I cautiously made my way to the door, my sword at the ready. I could hear the sounds of fighting coming from outside, and my heart sank. Had we gotten ourselves into another dangerous situation?

As I cautiously opened the door, I was met with the sight of chaos. The hallway was filled with men, all fighting and shouting. I could see Veronica and Vayren in the midst of the fray, their swords flashing in the dim light of the hallway. My body took action almost intrinsically as I tore down the hall like a bat out of hell.

I joined the twins in the fight, my sword slicing through the air as I fought off attackers. It was chaotic and disorienting, but we fought on, determined to survive.

As we gained the upper hand, the attackers began to flee, their footsteps echoing through the hallway as they retreated. But as the last of them disappeared into the night, something felt off about that attack. It was too coordinated and bold for common bandits, yet they lacked physical dominance.